research
Drones Over the Paddy: How UAVs Are Rewriting DSR
Drone seeding beat manual broadcasting by 13% and AI-guided spraying cut herbicide use by up to 45% — but missing protocols remain the risk.
IndianAgri Desk · 17 September 2026 · 5 min read
Contributor
Dr. S. Vijayakumar
Scientist (Agronomy), ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad
Scientist (Agronomy) at ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad, where his research spans precision farming, rice agronomy, climate change, crop simulation modelling, and remote sensing. He holds a Ph.D. in Agronomy from IARI, New Delhi, and has authored 30+ peer-reviewed papers on direct-seeded rice, farm mechanisation, drone application, and drip irrigation in rice systems. Recipient of the ICAR-IIRR Best Young Scientist Award (2021) and the IPNI Scholar Award (2016), and a reviewer for several agricultural journals.
View external profile10 stories credited to Dr. S. Vijayakumar
- research
Drip-Irrigated Rice: Growing Paddy Without Flooding the Field
Drip-irrigated rice needs 779 litres of water per kg of paddy vs. 2,024 conventionally — a radical shift away from flooded cultivation.
IndianAgri Desk · 16 September 2026 · 5 min read
researchThe Real Risks Behind Herbicide-Tolerant Rice (and How to Manage Them)
IMI-resistant weedy rice has already emerged from overuse. The real risks of herbicide-tolerant rice, and how integrated management contains them.
IndianAgri Desk · 11 September 2026 · 5 min read
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Winning the Weed War in DSR: A Practical Herbicide Playbook
Patna field trials found pendimethalin cut DSR crop stand by 45% under wet soil, while oxadiargyl and pretilachlor stayed safe — a herbicide playbook.
IndianAgri Desk · 6 September 2026 · 5 min read
researchVattar DSR: The Simple Soil-Mulch Trick Saving Farmers 2–3 Irrigations
Vattar DSR delayed irrigation by 15-20 days, cut weeds 50%, and lifted yields 22% over unmulched DSR — across 1,208 farmers in UP and Bihar.
IndianAgri Desk · 1 September 2026 · 5 min read
researchSeed Priming: A Low-Cost Yield Boost Any Farmer Can Try
Priming rice seed in potassium nitrate or gibberellic acid before sowing lifted DSR yields 7-11% — no machinery or new variety required.
IndianAgri Desk · 27 August 2026 · 5 min read
researchMachines That Are Transforming Direct-Seeded Rice
Mechanized seeders cut Vietnam's rice seed use by up to 83% and its carbon footprint by up to 24% — the machinery reshaping direct-seeded rice.
IndianAgri Desk · 22 August 2026 · 5 min read
researchHerbicide-Tolerant Rice: India's Home-Grown Answer to the Weed Problem
A 2014 mutant named 'Robin' led to CR Dhan 807 — India's first non-GM herbicide-tolerant rice, now notified across six states.
IndianAgri Desk · 12 August 2026 · 5 min read
researchThe DSR Map of India: Which States Are Leading and Which Are Lagging
Kerala (91.5%) and Chhattisgarh (71.6%) lead India's DSR adoption. West Bengal, UP and Bihar — major rice producers — trail below 2%.
IndianAgri Desk · 2 August 2026 · 5 min read
researchWhy India Is Quietly Rethinking How It Grows Rice
Puddled transplanting drives water, labour and methane in Indian rice. Direct-seeded rice, on just 13.6% of India's rice area, cuts all three.
IndianAgri Desk · 23 July 2026 · 5 min read